JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com \u2013 In the midst of urban life dynamics, not all\npatients undergoing treatment in hospitals can be accompanied by family\nmembers in full. There are family members who still must work, live out\nof town, or can only visit at certain times amid their busy\nschedules.<\/p>\n
In that gap of constraints, the role of a patient companion or\ncaregiver becomes significant. They are not a substitute for family, but\npresent to accompany, look after, and ensure the patient continues to\nfeel cared for during life\u2019s most vulnerable moments.<\/p>\n
The presence of caregivers often becomes the backbone for overwhelmed\nfamilies. They are not nurses, and are not always certified medical\npersonnel, but help accompany patients, handle administration, and even\nbecome a conversation partner when patients need emotional support.<\/p>\n
The decision did not come without reason. Winda admits her interest\nstemmed from personal experience and her observations of the situation\nat the hospital where her mother works as a nurse.<\/p>\n
She saw many patients and their families having to manage\nadministration and other needs on their own.<\/p>\n
From this, she perceived a real need for companions who can help with\nprocesses that are often time-consuming and labourious.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Winda\u2019s step to become a new caregiver truly began in\nJanuary 2026, even though the service\u2019s social media accounts had been\ncreated since the previous year.<\/p>\n
\u201cActually my own account was created last year already. I just\nstarted being a caregiver in January,\u201d Winda told Kompas.com in the\nSalemba area, East Jakarta, on Tuesday (3 March 2026).<\/p>\n
Before that, she had left her job as a live host. The hiatus became a\nturning point that made her rethink the direction of her life.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reason I wanted to become a caregiver is that last year I was\nunemployed for six months after resigning from the company where I\nworked as a live host. Then I thought about becoming a caregiver in\nJapan, especially since my mother has worked in a hospital since I was\nsmall,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Although she did not undertake formal health education, her habit of\nfrequently visiting hospitals and her love of reading health books given\nby her mother became the foundation that formed her understanding of the\nworld of care.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I often saw my mother at the hospital. And when I was young, I\nused to go back and forth to the hospital a lot,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In her daily life as a patient companion, Winda mostly handles\nadministrative matters as well as practical patient needs.<\/p>\n
She handles collecting letters, redeeming medicines, and delivering\nmedicines through a delivery service when the prescription number is\navailable.<\/p>\n
Not only that, she also accompanies patients during inpatient care,\nhelps feed them, and accompanies patients while waiting for bed\navailability in the Emergency Department (IGD).<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I pick up medicines, deal with BPJS. The first time I took a\nletter at RSCM, then I accompanied in the IGD. In the IGD, if you\nhaven\u2019t yet gotten a room you have to wait, and I waited from noon until\nnight,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Over time, she formed Welas Care by recruiting friends and applicants\nfrom outside. Of dozens of candidates, only a small portion were\naccepted.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/when-families-cannot-always-be-present-caregivers-support-patients-during-vulnerable-moments-1772639973", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }